Participants: John Bradshaw & John Lomacang & C. A. Murray & Greg Morikone & Shelley Quinn
Series Code: 17HC
Program Code: 17HC000002A
|
00:40 Welcome back to 3ABN Fall Camp Meeting.
00:43 Ya'll have a good first hour out here in the audience? 00:45 Amen! All right. Those of you at home if you're just joining us 00:48 thank you for doing so. 00:50 We have a question and answer program right now 00:54 and we've got a great panel. Look at this panel. 00:57 They're good looking and smart 00:58 so that's what we want... and spiritual, by the way. 01:01 That's right. And so, Yvonne, could you introduce our group 01:05 right now? I certainly will! 01:07 This is... At the end here we have our new general VP 01:12 Greg Morikone. Um-hmm. 01:14 We have Pastor John Lomacang. He's the director of world 01:17 evangelism for 3ABN. 01:19 We have our dear Shelley Quinn 01:22 who is the pro... I always... She wears so many hats 01:26 and I always mess up her title. 01:28 OK... what's your title, Shelley? 01:29 She has all kinds of them. Research, programming... 01:33 Everything. Thank you. 01:37 Next to Shelley Quinn we have our dear Pastor C.A. Murray 01:40 who is the general manager of Proclaim! 01:43 Network Proclaim! And we have Pastor John Bradshaw 01:48 who is the director of It Is Written. 01:51 And she always tells me every time 01:54 that you come on the air she goes: "I love John Bradshaw! 01:58 He is so good! " I do! She is a big fan of yours. I am! 02:01 She tries to be cool around you. She's like: "Hello, Pastor. " 02:04 But when you walk by she's like: "Oh, I love his preaching! " 02:08 I always thought she had good judgment. 02:12 That's the thing that impresses me most. OK. Thank you, Pastor. 02:16 I see you're going to fit in well here tonight 02:18 with this group, right? 02:20 It's OK to have a little bit of fun, isn't it? 02:22 Don't you think that we ought to be as Christians 02:25 and SDA Christians the happiest people on earth? 02:27 Amen! If we're not happy, why do people want what 02:30 we're trying to sell them, right? 02:32 And they don't. So a pastor used to say: "If you're happy... " 02:35 "Are you happy? " And the people would say "Yes! " 02:36 He said: "Then let your face know it. " 02:38 But you're a happy group here 'cause a lot of these folk 02:43 have come a long way to be here. 02:45 And there's still folks travel- ing over the next day or so 02:48 that's coming for... We know people from California 02:50 and Florida and all of those. 02:52 And some of those we know are traveling 02:54 that far just because we have Little Richard 02:57 that's going to be here. And so for those of you at home 03:00 you'll want to watch that too. 03:01 And if you're in driving distance here in southern IL 03:04 or the tri-state area - Kentucky, southern Indiana, 03:07 or Missouri - we invite you to come over on Sabbath. 03:10 Come over any time... but we're going to have a great day. 03:13 Bro. Bradshaw has a number of sermons for us. 03:17 We're going to be blessed by your ministry. 03:19 We have been for a long time. Thank you for what you do - 03:22 yes - for the cause of God. And your support always... 03:25 When we ask, he comes. He doesn't say: "Well pay me 03:28 so much money and I'll come. " He's never asked 03:30 and I shouldn't have brought it up... he might now. 03:33 We just try to ignore it all the time. He comes anyway. 03:37 So we appreciate you for what you do for the cause of God. 03:41 So... we've got some questions that came from our audience 03:45 here. And maybe I'll start out with the first one. 03:49 The first question was - that we got - says: 03:52 "Where in the Bible... " 'Cause they want to talk to 03:55 some friends... "Where in the Bible does it talk about 03:59 the rapture? Where in the Bible does it speak about 04:02 the rapture? " They want the Bible scriptures. 04:05 It does not speak about the rapture. 04:08 The Bible doesn't talk about the rapture? 04:10 No it does not. I know you went to the seminary 04:13 and you got your degrees, but most of the Christian world... 04:17 Every time you turn on these other networks they talk 04:20 about... the pastors are all talking about... evangelicals, 04:25 everybody... about the secret rapture. So you're telling us 04:27 there's no even any scriptures in the Bible to support that. 04:30 No. The closest you could come to it is Matthew 24. 04:35 And in Matthew 24 if you take a fairly light look 04:41 it may look like - um-hmm - the rapture. 04:44 But it is not speaking about the rapture. 04:47 And I'm in Matthew 24. We're picking it up at about 04:50 verse 40. "Two men will be in the field: 04:53 one taken, the other left. 04:55 Two women grinding at the mill: one taken, the other left. " 04:59 It would almost appear that that is talking about 05:03 the rapture, but it is not. That is not the burden 05:05 of that text. The Bible says: "As the sun shineth into 05:09 the east... from the east... even unto the west 05:11 so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. " 05:14 The coming of the Son of Man will be public. 05:17 It will be audible; it will be visible. 05:20 It will be worldwide and it's going to be loud! 05:25 So there's no secret rapture. 05:26 Nobody's being spirited away quietly. 05:29 That is not a Bible doctrine. In fact, if I may, 05:32 the passage that you're quoting, rather than supporting 05:36 the idea of a secret rapture does exactly the opposite. 05:39 Exactly the opposite. 05:41 So the best thing we can do with any text in the Bible is 05:45 read it in its context. "As it was in the days of Noah... " 05:49 How many weren't on the ark in Noah's day? Lots and lots. 05:52 What happened to them? Nothing good. 05:55 What happened to those who were saved? They were saved. 05:57 So it's such a great passage that you looked at 06:01 because rather than supporting this un-Biblical idea 06:04 it does exactly the opposite. And the wonderful thing about it 06:07 is Jesus said to us: "Be ye also ready. " Amen! 06:12 Just be ready. We have nothing to fear. 06:14 Whether you believe the secret rapture or not 06:16 you can have security... the security of the believer. 06:21 When you are given to Christ, you don't have to believe in... 06:23 in a false version of the second coming of Jesus 06:25 or the return of Jesus to have security. 06:28 We can be secure tonight. He is yours. 06:31 You are His. You are ready to go when He comes for you. 06:34 Amen! Praise the Lord for that. Amen! 06:37 As someone who came out of that teaching 06:42 we used to use I John 4 and verse 17. 06:47 "Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up 06:50 together with Him in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. 06:53 And thus... " I Thessalonians. What did I say? 06:59 You said I John. I Thessalonians 4:16 and 17 you want. 07:02 I guess I can't read. I Thessalonians 4:16. 07:05 But it says before that 07:09 that the Lord is going to descend with a shout. 07:15 You know... with the voice of the archangel. 07:19 So there's nothing secret about it. 07:22 I'll tell you: people who believe in the secret rapture 07:25 what they do is cherry-pick scriptures. 07:28 And if you read the scriptures in context 07:31 just as you said then there's no way to support a secret rapture. 07:37 One guy was reading and he said: 07:40 "What do you think about this? Two men will be in a bed. 07:43 One'll be taken, the other left behind. " 07:44 I said: "If two men's in a bed they're probably neither one 07:47 going. " So... I don't know. 07:50 This isn't live, is it? Is this a live program? 07:53 Can we strike that? 07:56 It's out there. Pastor John says: "It's out 07:59 there... it's too late. " Sorry about that. 08:02 So it would be correct... I'm just going to ask him this. 08:04 It would be correct to say that I believe in a rapture. 08:07 Right? We're talking the difference between a secret... 08:10 Right? Would I be correct in saying that? 08:12 So we believe in a rapture in a sense, correct? 08:15 But it's actually a secret rapture is what we don't 08:17 believe in. Is that correct? If you're defining rapture 08:21 in it's - dare I say - "naked" form. Yes. 08:25 As being caught up, then we do believe in a rapture. 08:28 "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout 08:30 with the voice of the archangel, trumpet of God. 08:34 And the dead in Christ will rise first. " So they are going to be 08:37 caught up. "Then we which are alive and remain shall be 08:40 caught up together with them to meet them in the clouds 08:42 and so shall we ever be with the Lord. " 08:44 So there IS a being caught up. 08:46 But it ain't secret. That's right! 08:49 That's right. As a matter of fact, David says: 08:50 "Our Lord shall come and shall NOT keep silent. " 08:53 So the not keep silent means He's not sneaking back. 08:57 You know, the most amazing event of all the ages 08:59 is the second coming of Jesus. 09:01 And He made it very clear. In John 14:1-3 He says: 09:06 "And if I go and prepare a place for you, 09:09 I will come again and receive you 09:13 so that where I am there you may be also. " 09:15 And as many of you know, the Bible was not written in 09:18 divisions like chapter 12, 13, and 14. 09:20 Because just in chapter 13 He says: "Where I am going 09:24 you cannot come. " Did you hear what I just said? 09:27 "Where I'm going you cannot come. " 09:29 "So for that reason I will come again and receive you. " 09:33 That's the context of the writing of John. 09:35 "You can't come... but I will come and get you. " 09:39 So that's the climax of the ages: 09:41 Jesus coming back. And He says in Revelation 1:7 09:43 "Behold He is coming with clouds, and every eye 09:47 will see Him. " Nothing secret. 09:50 So "non-secret" that all the tribes of the earth 09:53 will mourn because of Him. 09:56 And every one of them will mourn because they see Him. 09:59 Revelation 6 says those who see Him will run to the rocks 10:03 and the mountains trying to hide FROM Him. 10:05 But the Christian will be caught up to meet Him 10:08 in the air. And if we're going to be caught up together 10:10 with the dead who are raised and the living who did not die, 10:13 if we're caught up to meet Him then we haven't met Him 10:18 until that moment. OK... just to follow up. 10:21 That's such a popular teaching all around the world. 10:25 So where did it come from? 10:27 If it's not in the Bible, where did it come from? 10:29 Well, two Jesuits - two Roman Jesuits - 10:32 two theologians: Francisco Ribera and Luis de Alcazar - 10:37 preterists and futurists - 10:39 were commissioned to find a way to get the eyes of the... 10:43 of the people of the Dark Ages or the Medieval times 10:47 off of the... off of Rome. 10:49 Because all of the Reformers as we were talking about today 10:52 Pastor Bradshaw and I were talking. All the Reformers knew 10:55 the position of Bible prophecy and that it pointed to Rome as 10:58 the antichrist system. 11:00 So to get them off of the eyes of Rome 11:02 they came up with futurism. 11:04 And the rapture was the significant portion of 11:07 Francisco Ribera's rendition that in the future 11:10 there is going to be a tribulation. And just before 11:14 the tribulation the church is going to be snatched away 11:16 and the antichrist is going to be established. 11:18 That's where it came from. 11:19 And National Geographic did a program about 8 years ago 11:23 I refer to this on this specific teaching. 11:27 And they said: "Millions of Christians have embraced 11:29 the teaching that has no Biblical foundation. " 11:33 And then, of course, they've got modern-day legs with - 11:36 Boy, I'm having a senior moment - 11:38 the fellow who did the Left Behind series. Yeah, yeah. 11:40 With Tim LaHaye. But people forget that that was a novel. 11:45 It was not intended to be Bible truth. 11:47 But people took it as Bible truth but it is not Bible truth. 11:53 OK, next question. Let's move on. 11:55 I know we are to pray for the Holy Spirit 11:57 but is there any scripture or counsel praying TO 12:02 the Holy Spirit? So is there any scripture or counsel 12:06 about praying to the Holy Spirit? 12:11 The reason we're all looking... because the answer is NO! 12:16 There is no counsel in the Bible to pray to... We pray to the 12:20 Father in the name of Jesus. 12:23 Now Romans 8 tells us that our prayers are aided 12:27 by the Holy Spirit. There are moans and groanings 12:30 done that assist our prayers in making them presentable 12:33 and giving them unction in heaven. 12:35 But we don't pray to the Spirit... we pray to the Father 12:39 in the name of Jesus. But I have to confess that 12:42 every morning as I pray for the Holy Spirit 12:44 and ask the Lord to fill me afresh. 12:47 You know, we are leaky vessels. Would you agree? 12:50 And so you don't just pray for the Holy Spirit once. 12:54 In Luke 11:13 Jesus said 12:57 to ask and keep on... Well Luke 11:9 and 13... He said: 13:00 "Ask and keep on asking; seek and keep on seeking; 13:04 knock and keep on knocking. " 13:06 And then He goes on to say in verse 13: 13:09 "If you - being evil - know how to give good gifts 13:12 to your children, how much more 13:14 will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those 13:17 who ask and keep on asking. " 13:19 So I pray every morning because it's like, you know, 13:24 the American Express commercial that says: 13:26 "Don't leave home without it. " 13:28 I don't want to leave home without Him. 13:31 So I pray and ask the Father. And I confess that 13:35 then I always ask the Lord: "Help me to open my heart 13:39 to receive Your Spirit... a fresh infilling. " 13:42 And then I say: "Holy Spirit, I welcome You. " 13:45 I'm not really praying to Him 13:46 but I'm just saying: "Holy Spirit, I welcome You" 13:49 'cause I want Him to feel welcome. 13:51 The Holy Spirit is very active in the life of the Christian. 13:55 You know, Jesus said: "It is expedient that I go. 13:57 If I do not go, He will not come. " 14:00 So we're not speaking about a rendition or a version of Jesus 14:05 because He says: "It's necessary that I go. 14:07 If I don't go, He will not come. " 14:09 But the Spirit also has... And we don't often refer to 14:13 the Spirit as an Intercessor, but He does have an intercessory 14:16 role. In Romans 8:26 you know we say 14:20 "And we know that all things work together for good. " 14:21 You know that text? Romans 8 verse? Twenty-eight. 14:24 Look at Romans 8 verse 26 14:26 because we pray and this is the work that the Holy Spirit is 14:30 often not even credited for. But the Bible says in verse 26 14:33 "Likewise, the Spirit also helps 14:37 in our weakness, for we do not know what we should pray for 14:41 as we ought. But the Spirit Himself makes intercession 14:46 for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. " 14:49 So the Holy Spirit... When we pray... You know, have you ever 14:52 prayed a prayer and you didn't even know what you prayed for? 14:54 Come on. You wonder: "What did I pray for? " 14:57 And it gets answered anyway because the Spirit 15:00 takes that prayer and says: "That's not what Shelley meant. 15:05 This is really what she needs, Lord. " 15:06 And He intercedes. And it says in verse 27 15:09 "Now He who searches the heart knows what the mind of the 15:13 Spirit is because He makes intercession for the saints. " 15:17 Watch this. And I know where this is going 15:19 because there's a big controversy about the Spirit. 15:21 The Spirit is referred to as having a mind. 15:24 The Spirit is referred to as an Intercessor 15:26 and the Spirit is referred to as He. 15:29 So you can't have a force with a mind, who intercedes 15:33 and is referred to in the definitive context of a He... 15:36 Pastor Bradshaw. Let me add something. You mentioned... 15:39 You eluded to this and I just can't help myself. 15:44 It's so fascinating to me 15:46 that we see attacks... doctrinal attacks... on things 15:51 that we figured out, that we settled years ago. 15:55 Amen! I just want to appeal to the troublemakers among us 16:00 and to the folks who just can't help but picking this... 16:05 picking scabs off. 16:06 Listen: we settled long ago that the Holy Spirit is 16:11 and that the Holy Spirit is a person. 16:14 Has personality. Jesus referred to Him as "He" 16:19 more times than I've ever done. 16:21 It's settled! If you're not happy with that, 16:24 for goodness sake, don't try and make other people as miserable 16:27 as you are about it. Don't be getting around a church 16:30 trying to get up an insurrec- tion, trying to start a war. 16:33 Trying to be that divisive... You're just letting the devil 16:36 use you for that. This thing is done. 16:40 Please just don't. Find another battle worthy of your endeavors. 16:45 We've got too much of this plague in the church 16:47 and folks smart enough to know better are getting sucked away 16:50 because for reasons I don't understand they're opening 16:53 their hearts up to voices they shouldn't be open to. 16:55 So we've got it settled. Jesus made it clear. 17:00 The Bible is clear. If you are smarter than God, 17:03 you probably need to be in your own church 17:05 'cause there's no one else as smart as you. 17:07 So thanks for respecting the status quo on this subject 17:11 because it's settled and we believe it! 17:14 Let me address this very quickly now. 17:17 Very quickly, and I've gotta make a confession 17:20 because just this week I was out with Jason Bradley 17:22 and Irma and a fellow attacked me - 17:25 former Adventist - on the Holy Spirit. 17:28 And he kept saying: "It's a force... it's a force. " 17:30 And I've gotta apologize... I kind of lost my cool and 17:32 I called him Darth Vader. I said "You know, you're Darth Vader, 17:35 man. You're turning this into Star Wars. " 17:37 The Holy Spirit is not a force! 17:39 It is a person with a personality. Amen! 17:43 The early pioneers wrestled with this 17:46 but praise God they got it right. Yes! 17:48 And we don't need to re-litigate the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. 17:52 Amen! I just have to say: if you want to know who the 17:56 Holy Spirit is, when Jesus said in John 14:15 18:00 "If you love Me, keep My commandments 18:02 and I will give you another Comforter... " 18:06 speaking of sending the Holy Spirit... 18:08 In the Greek, there's two words for another. 18:13 One means that it's something similar. Like I could say 18:17 "Would you like another piece of fruit? I have a bowl 18:19 of fruit. It's not like what you just ate. " 18:22 But this word is allos, 18:25 and that means one that is identical. Hmm. 18:29 So He is saying: "I will give you allos Parakletos: 18:33 One who is identical to Me. " 18:37 And as you said: I had someone say 18:41 "He's just a Spirit... He's just a force. " 18:44 The Bible says God is a Spirit. 18:47 Amen! OK... all right. 18:49 Here is a question from the audience. 18:52 It says: "The Bible says don't worry about tomorrow. 18:55 So as a Christian, is it Biblical to formulate 18:59 ten- or twenty-year plans? And if it is Biblical, 19:02 how far is it OK to pursue a future goal 19:05 if God has told you that you currently are exactly 19:08 where He wants you to be? " 19:09 Now, my comment on this - not an answer... 19:12 this was written by a young person. 19:14 When they say "formulate ten, twenty years ahead" 19:17 those of us my age... we're looking at the funeral homes. 19:21 We're thumbing through the funeral homes on Google. 19:23 We're looking at insurance plans 19:28 and we're looking at all kinds of things. 19:29 So this was written by a young... Who wrote this? 19:31 Somebody put their hand up. I know they did. 19:34 I know this is a young person. 19:35 But anyway... No, it's a good question 19:37 because you say: "Well, if we don't worry about tomorrow 19:40 well how far can I plan in advance? " 19:43 Well the word... The key is "don't worry. " 19:46 I always say: "Worry is worship to the wrong God. " 19:50 If you worry, then you don't believe that the Lord 19:54 has for you.. Get this: is tomorrow the future? 19:58 It is. He says: "I have for you a future 20:02 and a hope. " Now to plan... 20:04 We ought to plan as though the Lord will never come 20:07 and live as though He is on His way tomorrow. 20:10 So this... Planning is not... We ought to not live our lives 20:13 the Bible says - David, the Psalmist, says - 20:15 "Do not be slothful in business. " 20:18 And so when you have a plan it doesn't mean that you're 20:20 living by the seat of your pants. 20:22 It means you have a forecasting goal. 20:26 "But submit all your plans" as Ellen White says "to the Lord. " 20:28 He'll change them if they're not in harmony with His will. 20:31 But you don't have to worry. That's the key. 20:33 Good! 'Cause that's great. Doesn't say don't plan 20:36 for the future... says "don't worry about the future. " 20:40 And I don't know the scripture reference, 20:42 so ya'll have to look it up yourself, but in Proverbs 20:45 it says that plans that are committed to the Lord 20:48 succeed. And you know, the thing that we need to do - 20:52 to remember in our planning - is that 20:56 we need to be praying and asking God 20:59 for His direction... for that heavenly wisdom, 21:03 the uncommon wisdom from above. 21:05 And I think that it only makes good sense to plan. 21:11 OK. You know, I have to confess something here. 21:13 So Pastor, Shelley talking about worry... 21:16 So I worried. I worried who I was going to marry. 21:20 I had no fear, did I? as to who I was going to marry 21:23 because God gave me Jill. 21:25 So you know, it's easy to think about... What was that? 21:29 No, no, not today. What did he say? Oh, OK. 21:32 I don't think he said anything. I said: "Praise the Lord! " 21:35 Amen... Amen. He said: "She should have worried. " 21:41 What's my comeback on that? 21:44 I thought I had a friend over here. 21:46 You do, Pastor. I have a friend but not a partner in crime. 21:49 I need a comeback on this. OK. So but I think about 21:53 the ten virgins. You know, they were asked... Some had extra 21:57 and some didn't. I also think about the talents, 22:00 right? They didn't just sit on the talents. 22:03 They actually did something with the talents is what they're 22:05 supposed to have done. So I believe you're supposed to plan 22:07 but also not become attached to what you're planning for. 22:10 You know, because it's easy to then put 22:12 everything into it. And that's what your mind thinks about. 22:14 You're attached to it... you won't let go. 22:16 I think the Lord wants us to plan. 22:18 He doesn't want us to worry about it, that's for sure. 22:20 But I believe God wants us to plan, but again 22:22 I guess keep our mind on heaven. 22:25 You know, in the book Evangelism Ellen White makes a statement 22:29 and it appertains particularly to evangelism 22:33 but it can be extrapolated to our life. 22:35 She says that we should not expect the blessings of God 22:38 unless we mature wise plans. 22:41 She said if you fail to plan 22:43 that in the harvest you will find your field barren. 22:46 We used to say: "God don't bless mess. " 22:49 So if you want God to bless plan, 22:53 make your plan, work your plan. Submit it to God 22:56 and God can bless it. But if you don't plan, 22:59 you're really destining yourself for failure. 23:02 Yeah, just quick. If you're not planning, 23:03 you're never going to make it to medical school. 23:05 You've got to figure that out early and start working towards 23:08 a goal. If you don't plan, you will never own a house 23:11 because you aren't planning for the future. 23:13 If you aren't planning, then you won't have health insurance 23:16 or flood insurance because you never planned for that sort 23:18 of thing way in advance. You go ahead and plan 23:20 all you need to, but be cognizant of the fact 23:24 what you want to do is follow God's leading for your life. 23:28 So you plan... you think. I planned way into the future. 23:32 I've got eternity... I'm planning for eternity. 23:36 So... you know... be careful with that. 23:38 The apostle Paul - II Corinthians 1:17, 23:40 he talks about planning. He says: "Therefore... " 23:42 speaking about the journey through Macedonia... 23:45 He said: "Therefore when I was planning this 23:47 did I do it lightly? Or the things I plan 23:51 do I plan according to the flesh? " 23:53 He talked about plans. 23:54 When he went throughout his journey through Asia Minor 23:58 he planned his stops. 24:00 He did not plan it lightly but he did have plans. 24:03 Come to think of it, God plans. 24:07 He said: "I know the plans I have for you. 24:10 Plans to give you a hope and a future. " 24:13 So this is something that if God created us in His image 24:18 and He plans I think He has given us the ability to plan 24:22 as we seek His counsel. 24:25 That's right! Good! Which book of the Bible 24:28 resonates with you the most? And why. 24:33 Romans. Isaiah. OK... tell us why. 24:38 Romans because if we had no other book in the Bible 24:43 Romans gives us the entire plan of salvation. 24:47 Of justification by faith, sanctification by faith. 24:52 Romans is a book that speaks to me so deeply 24:57 that I can almost weep when I'm reading it. 25:00 But Romans is probably my favorite. 25:04 I said Isaiah because in Isaiah we see God on the stretch. 25:08 You see a God who is almost desperate to save His people. 25:11 He's tried blessing; He's tried cursing. 25:13 He's tried helping; He's tried spanking; 25:15 He's tried giving them compliments. 25:17 You see a God who loves His people so much, 25:20 who is being rejected so much... but all He can do is love them. 25:23 He says in one passage: "OK, I'm not going to hear your prayers 25:28 any more. Don't pray to Me. 25:29 When you pray I will laugh, I will turn My back on you. " 25:32 "I'm done with you... I'm through with you. 25:34 I'm just done! Oh, by the way... I love you. " 25:37 You know, so you see this almost schizophrenic God 25:40 who loves His people so much that He will do anything, 25:43 go to any length to save them 25:46 and to bring them to Himself. 25:48 Years ago I did a sermon "The Best Book Ever Written" 25:51 and I said: "The best book ever written is not the Bible. " 25:53 And people said: "What? " 25:55 The best book ever written is not the Bible. 25:57 And I say that again: "The best book ever written 26:00 to me is the Book of Life. " 26:02 OK... wow... all right. 26:05 Amen. Amen? 26:07 Because when we no longer need the written word 26:11 we're going to meet The Living Word. OK. 26:13 And we'll only meet The Living Word not because my name is 26:16 in this book - OK - but because my name is in THAT book. 26:19 Amen! And so, if I were to answer the question 26:22 as we have... Romans. Shelley, I must agree with you. 26:24 Romans. And another one is Philippians. 26:26 Philippians is the athlete's book. 26:28 If you ever feel like you can't make it, 26:30 just read all four chapters in Philippians and you'll be ready 26:33 to run a marathon. Amen! 26:34 It's interesting that you say that. I cannot tell you what 26:36 book resonates with me the most. 26:38 The gospel of John speaks to me in a way that no other book 26:41 of the Bible does. But funny you should say that, John. 26:43 Philippians for me. 26:44 Because Philippians is the book... You read that through 26:47 and it's righteousness by faith. 26:49 Philippians 1:6. "He who has begun a good work 26:52 in you... " Philippians 2:13. "It is 26:54 God that worketh in you both to will and to do... " 26:57 And on through the Bible. Philippians chapter 3 27:00 Paul gives his pedigree, and he says: "But my own righteousness 27:04 is really nothing. " And he's reaching out for the 27:06 righteousness of God by faith. 27:09 Philippians chapter 4: "I can do all things through Christ. " 27:12 It is God who supplies your need and so on. 27:14 For me that's just a powerful, powerful, powerful book. 27:17 I love it. OK. Yeah, I'd have to say it's hard 27:19 for me to put my finger on just one book 27:21 but I like the book of Psalms. 27:23 That book has encouraged me thru the years in so many ways. 27:27 I like the book of Psalms. 27:29 Yvonne, what about you? 27:31 Ooh... I didn't know you were going to ask me. 27:34 I like John - the book of John - because it is... 27:40 It shows the compassion of Jesus. 27:44 Um-hmm. So I think John and I love Isaiah 27:47 because there's so many beautiful promises. 27:49 "Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you 27:51 by name... you are Mine. " 27:53 So I love Isaiah. I love Jeremiah. 27:57 OK... he asked me! 27:59 You asked me! You love the Bible, right? I do! I do! 28:02 What about you? 28:04 Umm, well, I'm like you... I have a lot, but John 28:06 because it says things like "For God so loved the world 28:09 that He gave His only begotten Son. 28:11 And whosoever believeth in Him should not perish BUT 28:14 have everlasting life. " It says things like 28:17 "I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go 28:19 and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you 28:22 unto Myself that where I am you may be also. " 28:25 So there's so much of that in there 28:27 I could live on that if I had to. Yes! 28:30 But thank the Lord we have the entire Bible. 28:34 Yes! So there's really not an excuse not to be saved 28:38 because we have what we need. 28:40 When we have the Word of God - um-hmm - that we can read it. 28:44 That transfers into our hearts and into our minds 28:48 and we really understand. For me the big thing was 28:52 I was raised in a fairly legalistic home. 28:55 It's like you don't do this on Sabbath... you don't do that 28:57 or I'll wear you out. That type of thing. 28:59 But it was a lot of legalism. 29:01 Yet my folks loved the Lord and they did the best they knew how. 29:05 But for me the change came when I really said: "You know what? 29:09 God has a plan for me. 29:11 God DOES have a plan for me! 29:13 What is it that I'm supposed to do? " 29:15 So getting out of high school I ended up... 29:18 I did a little LPN course for a year. 29:20 I thought: "Well maybe I want to go to college. " 29:23 I said: "Ah, that's not for me. " I did that 29:25 then right after that my brother and I went in construction. 29:27 Then we did some gospel singing. 29:29 And I always knew: "You know what? I like what I'm doing 29:32 but God has something for me and this is not it. " 29:35 And then one night in 1984 29:38 November I heard this thought in my mind. 29:40 This voice said: "I want you to build a television station 29:43 that would reach the world with an undiluted 29:45 three angels' messages: one that would counteract 29:47 the counterfeit. " And as soon as that happened 29:51 I knew that was it. To this day I've never doubted it 29:54 and it's made all the difference in the world 29:56 because God has a plan. 29:57 He has a plan for each and every one of you. 29:59 Every one of your lives. You're not here by accident. 30:02 You're not alive in these clos- ing moments of earth's history. 30:05 God has a plan for you, and that plan 30:08 is not just to prosper physically but spiritually 30:12 so that each and every one of us when we submit and commit 30:15 our lives to the Lord Jesus Christ 30:18 can live, rule, and reign with Him forever. 30:21 It's a free gift. That's why I say it's harder 30:24 to be lost than it is to be saved. Come on! 30:27 Because with what we have in our hearts... 30:29 And people today... Thank you so much for what you said 30:32 while ago: "Look, if you want to go start your own church 30:35 go start it. " You know, my uncle used to say: 30:37 "If you don't love it, leave it. " You know? 30:39 Here's what it is. Don't try to change everything. 30:41 But thank you so much for that wisdom 30:44 because we have some truth that God has given - present truth - 30:48 to us as Seventh-day Adventist Christians. 30:50 God has people in all churches 30:52 but He's always had people to give present truth. 30:55 And we have that present truth and we shouldn't try to dilute 30:58 it. We shouldn't worry about political correctness. 31:01 We should just tell the truth because the truth is Jesus. 31:04 Amen! "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. " 31:06 Right? So when we do that God honors it. 31:09 When you tell the truth... 31:10 When you tell people your greatest asset 31:13 in your life is what God has done for you. 31:15 Um-hmm. See, people can say: "Oh I don't believe. 31:18 There's no God. You can't convince me. " 31:20 I say: "I don't have to. " 31:21 "Well, there's no God. How do you know there's a God? " 31:24 I say: "Cause He lives in my heart. " 31:25 I know that. You know that: that there is a God. 31:28 So don't let anybody fool you; don't let anybody mix you up. 31:31 And don't let anybody get you discouraged, off the track. 31:35 You said it beautifully while ago. Thank you, Pastor. 31:36 Appreciate it. Appreciate your wisdom 31:39 and appreciate you standing up for what is right - 31:42 yes - and what is truth regardless. 31:45 And all of you do that. I've seen you through the years. 31:48 It's not always popular to preach what you folks preach... 31:51 but you do it. Thank you so much. 31:54 Let's do another question. 31:56 I've got one while you're looking. 31:57 OK. The Bible says in Psalms: "The law of the Lord is perfect 32:01 converting the soul. " But in the other books 32:05 it speaks of the law as "sin and death. " 32:09 So it says: "Which Bible verses show me? " 32:12 It says: "How do I know which law it refers to? " 32:15 "And so how can the law of the Lord be perfect 32:18 converting the soul when some scriptures make it look like 32:22 that it's hard? " Well you know, the law is... 32:25 That's Romans, Shelley, so I know we're about to explode 32:27 right now. The law of sin and death 32:30 is not the law of God. Amen! 32:33 The law of the Lord is perfect. 32:35 So it cannot be perfect and be the law of sin and death. 32:38 The law of sin and death is the nature of humanity 32:41 that holds us captive. 32:42 Just like gravity refuses to let anyone go 32:45 we cannot break the law of gravity. 32:47 When you are under the control of the old nature 32:51 the law of sin and death is in control of you. 32:53 But the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus 32:59 has made us free from the law of sin and death. 33:02 Neither of those is talking about the Ten Commandments. 33:05 It's just simply talking about under one you're under 33:08 Satanic control; under the other you're under spiritual control. 33:12 Not laws... not multiple laws. 33:15 So, no, it's not talking about the law of God. 33:18 You know, we always talk about and Pastor John mentioned it 33:22 context. There are five quick questions when you're doing 33:26 Bible study when you're trying to make application. 33:27 One: Who said it? What did he say? 33:30 What did he mean? Who was his audience? 33:34 Then you make application. 33:36 Which means you've got to be a slave of context. 33:39 You've gotta look at the texts that surround it. 33:41 You cannot wrench a text from its context. 33:44 Then you get a "pretext" and it's not the real text. 33:47 So you have to ask: What did he say? 33:50 What did he mean? Who was he speaking to? 33:52 And then make application to yourself. OK. 33:54 But I do understand the confusion. Sometimes 33:58 the Bible will refer to the first five books 34:03 of Moses as "the law. " 34:06 There is the book of the law that sometimes people confuse 34:11 with the first 5 books of Moses. 34:13 But the "book of the law" is Deuteronomy. 34:15 The book of the law was put on the side of the ark. 34:20 And then it refers to the Ten Commandments as the law. 34:24 So as you said, when you're reading 34:28 like in Galatians. When he is talking about the law 34:32 in Galatians it is so clear 34:36 because he goes on to say that it has all of these 34:42 curses in it and he quotes ac- tually from the book of the law, 34:48 from Deuteronomy. So right away you know 34:51 he's talking about what was written up and rolled up 34:54 and put on the side of the ark. 34:57 It is important. It's impossible without looking at the context. 35:03 And one scripture puts it all together very quickly. 35:05 Romans 7:23. Listen to this: Or verse 22... 35:10 "For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. " 35:14 That's God's law. That's clear: the commandments. 35:16 Verse 23: "But I see another law 35:19 in my members warring against the law of my mind 35:22 and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin 35:26 which is in my members. " That's the whole... God's 35:29 law, there's nothing wrong with it. But this nature 35:31 is warring against that. And it's going to war until I'm 35:34 born again. OK... thank you. 35:38 Will there be marriage in heaven? 35:41 I had always thought the answer was not based off of 35:44 Matthew 22:23-33. 35:48 However, I've heard many conflicting views 35:51 so I'm a bit confused. 35:53 Will there be marriage in heaven? 35:57 No! Somebody else. 36:03 You know, and backstage Danny read that question. 36:06 I said: "For the person that's not married 36:08 they might wait to get to heaven to marry the perfect person. 36:12 You'll get that on Monday. 36:14 No, no, that's something that's going to happen down here. 36:17 I'm glad. Like at the end of my bio I say: "I love 36:19 the Lord, I love my wife, and I plan on spending eternity 36:23 with both of them. " Like Greg you've gotta get 36:25 a wife down here, right Greg? Amen. 36:28 No wedding ceremonies in heaven. 36:29 No, there won't be marriage in heaven. 36:31 Jesus was very clear about that. The Bible speaks about that. 36:34 However... however... 36:38 we mustn't labor under the misconception that we get to 36:42 heaven and you see your spouse walking by and you say 36:45 to somebody: "Who's that? " 36:47 "Who is that? Looks familiar. " 36:49 The relationships we establish on earth are going to be special 36:52 to us in heaven... MORE special in heaven. 36:55 But you know... this is the earth, that's heaven. 36:59 There's some... I'm not going to get too deep into this 37:02 before... I'll let somebody else get agricultural. But... 37:07 The Bible is really very clear that in heaven 37:10 as wonderful as marriage is here what God has for us there 37:15 is better - that's right - better. I know that's 37:19 impossible for my wife to imagine. 37:22 But... Oh, that's good! But it's true. 37:27 You've gotta love this guy's humility! I love it! 37:29 That's good! I'm proud of my humility, brother! 37:34 You like that? I do. OK. 37:37 We got that one cleared, right? 37:39 All right... OK. 37:41 All right: Revelation 20:9. 37:44 "Fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. " 37:48 But in so many places of the Bible 37:50 it talks about the wicked "will burn forever. " So can you 37:54 help us with that? 37:58 Does that scripture mean what it says? 38:01 While they're turning I'll just start and when they catch up 38:03 I'll jump off. They went up on the breadth of the earth. " 38:08 We know where they are. They're on the earth. 38:09 The second resurrection has taken place. 38:11 "and they surround or they compass the camp of the saints 38:14 about and the Beloved City. And fire came down from God 38:17 out of heaven and devoured them. " 38:20 So first you want to ask your- self the meaning of that word 38:23 devoured. We believe it means burned and burnt up. 38:27 You would look through... You would look at Revelation 14: 38:31 "The smoke of their torment ascended forever and ever. " 38:34 OK... so park that to one side. 38:36 I'm not asking you to forget it. 38:38 But then go to the plethora of scriptures you find throughout 38:40 the Bible that refer to the wicked being reduced to ashes. 38:45 Even Satan will be brought to ashes. 38:48 So you've got a million texts over here that say 38:51 ashes and you've got this one or maybe there's two 38:53 that seems to contradict. 38:56 And so one of these bright individuals to my left and your 38:59 right will take it from there now they have their microphones 39:02 ready. Well since he said "bright" I'll try to... 39:05 Amen! You know, I'm not a Greek scholar, but 39:10 I love studying the Greek. 39:12 And the word everlasting or eternal in the Greek 39:17 is aionios. And that word 39:23 is interpreted "determined by what it is modifying. " 39:29 In other words, if I say: "She is a beautiful woman. " 39:35 Beautiful modifies her. 39:38 If I would say: "He is a handsome man. " Thank you! 39:41 Yes! That's the adjective that's modifying. 39:46 So if you use the word aionios 39:50 to modify... if you're talking about God... 39:54 Because He is an infinite being it means without end. 40:00 But if you're using the word to modify a mortal man - 40:05 which the Bible says we're all mortal... only God is immortal - 40:10 so when it's modifying a place or a person 40:16 or a thing that has been created 40:18 we're not eternal. And it simply means 40:22 when it says "everlasting fire" that it will burn 40:25 until it burns up, until it accomplishes God's purposes. 40:30 That's why in Jude when he's saying 40:33 you know that Sodom and Gomorrah are an example of 40:37 eternal fire. Well, Sodom and Gomorrah aren't on fire today. 40:42 They're not still burning. 40:44 But it was an unquenchable fire until it burned it up 40:49 and it came to an end because it was a mortal object. 40:55 Good! Wonderfully said! Praise the Lord? 40:58 Amen! Thank you, Shelley, for that. And the simple fact 41:01 of the matter is: "the wages of sin is? " "death... 41:06 but the gift of God is eternal life. " 41:11 So you both can't have eternal life. 41:15 How could the wicked burn forever if they cannot live 41:20 forever. That's a simple deduction. 41:22 Only ones that receive eternal life are the righteous. 41:25 The wicked don't receive eternal life. 41:26 They'll be ashes under the soles of our feet. 41:29 So thank you for that insight, Shelley. 41:30 That wonderful verse to remember. The Bible says: 41:33 "He that hath the Son hath life. " 41:36 A couple of things to remember. Nobody perishing has the Son 41:40 therefore they cannot possibly burn forever. 41:42 They would have eternal life forever. 41:44 It wouldn't be much of an eternal life. 41:45 But be that as it may, they would live eternally. 41:48 So we are looking at this in the very positive now. 41:51 If you have the Son you have life. If you possess Jesus 41:54 by faith you have everlasting life by faith. 41:58 God doesn't... What kind of a tyrant would God be 42:00 if you want to make forever and ever in that context mean 42:05 without end. The effects of hell forever and ever 42:09 and ever and ever. If you had a fence, and 98 posts 42:13 were straight and two posts were out of line 42:15 you wouldn't dig up the 98 and move them over. 42:18 You'd figure out what to do about the two. 42:20 So don't allow one verse or another verse 42:22 which can clearly be understood in a certain context 42:25 to shake your understanding of the myriad verses that 42:29 make it very clear that God's not a tyrant who would burn 42:32 people forever. Have Christ and you're clear anyhow. 42:36 Amen! Let me give you a scripture that absolutely 42:39 supports what he just said. In I Corinthians 15:51 42:43 Paul writes: "Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all 42:46 sleep but we should all be changed. In a moment, 42:49 in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. 42:51 For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised 42:54 incorruptible and we shall be changed. 42:57 For this corruptible must put on incorruption 43:00 and this mortal must put on immortality. 43:05 So when the corruptible has put on incorruption 43:08 and this mortal has put on immortality 43:10 then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: 43:15 'death is swallowed up in victory. ' " 43:18 So putting your statement together and your statement 43:21 together: we are mortal human beings. 43:25 Immortality is the gift of eternal life. 43:29 I John 5:10. "He who has the Son 43:33 has life and he who does not have the Son 43:36 does not. " Only the righteous... 43:39 This is the first resurrection that we're talking about 43:42 in I Corinthians 15. Only the righteous get the gift 43:46 of immortality, not the evil. 43:51 I like actually John 3:16. 43:53 We all know that, don't we? 43:55 John 3:16 say: "For God so loved the world 43:57 that He gave His only begotten Son 43:59 that whosoever believeth in Him... " 44:01 Should not smolder? 44:03 "Should not perish... " Key: "should not perish 44:07 but have everlasting life. " 44:10 So to me... perishing? You're dead. 44:12 This is why what you believe, what your church teaches, 44:15 is so very, very important. Amen! 44:17 You start out in the book of Genesis 44:19 and if you believe man is given a soul that never dies 44:23 then you put yourself in a box and then all of your doctrines 44:26 have to accrue from that one mistake 44:28 and you can never get right. So if the soul never dies, 44:31 when the body dies you've got to put that soul someplace 44:34 for eternity. So you make God a liar 44:37 and an evil person because since the soul never dies 44:39 you've gotta burn it forever. 44:41 So when you start out wrong... doctrinally... 44:44 very difficult to get right. 44:46 And then you get worse and worse and worse 44:48 and your doctrines actually deface the image 44:51 of a loving God. Just one last thought from me 44:53 at least on this: we started in Revelation chapter 20 44:56 and I kind of broke the stated rule here about looking at 44:59 things in context. Verse 9: "Fire came down from God 45:03 out of heaven and devoured them. " 45:05 Verse 14, same passage: 45:07 "Death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. 45:10 This is the second death. " Amen! 45:12 So you don't have in Revelation chapter 20 people burning 45:15 on and on forever. It's a death. 45:17 So now that we understand that theologically 45:21 or intellectually, let's be sure that we experience this 45:23 on the right side of the equation 45:25 and possess Jesus Christ in our hearts by faith. 45:28 One thing to know it. We can experience it now: 45:30 the joy of salvation through Jesus. 45:32 OK... last... probably last question 45:36 when you hear it. We may not have time for any more. 45:39 Adventists seem to be very balanced except when it comes 45:44 to the Seventh-day Sabbath. 45:46 Why do they go "overboard" and preach the Sabbath so much? 45:54 We're unbalanced? 45:55 No... you're unbalanced. I'm not... I'm fine. 45:57 No... no... they said: "Adventists 46:03 seem to be balanced except... " 46:08 OK. Isaiah 58 verse 12: "They that shall be of 46:12 Thee... " Watch this: it's a commission; it's not an option. 46:18 "They that shall be of Thee... " 46:21 This is what God has commissioned us to do... 46:23 "shall build up the old way's places; 46:26 shall raise up the foundation of many generations. 46:30 They shall be called... " THEY... 46:33 "shall be called the repairers of the breach, 46:35 the restorers of paths to dwell in. " 46:38 So we are called. "We shall build up, raise up, 46:40 repair and restore. God has called us to 46:43 build up, raise up, repair, and restore 46:45 what has been trampled and broken down. 46:47 So we're not overboard. We're saying: "But this has been 46:50 broken down. We have to raise it up, 46:52 build it up, repair it and restore it. 46:54 So we're not overboard. We're just simply saying 46:56 When God said "remember" and man said "forget" 47:00 we're saying remember. GOD said remember! 47:02 What amazes me is Lot said... "Remember Lot's wife" 47:05 and nobody argues that. 47:09 Solomon said: "Remember the Creator in the days of 47:12 your youth. " Everybody says: "Listen to Solomon. " 47:15 "Listen to Dr. Luke but ignore God. " 47:20 We're saying: "No, don't ignore anybody INCLUDING God! " 47:23 Amen! So we may sound like we're going "overboard" 47:27 but we are... we are, and I'm going to use this word: 47:30 we are soldiers of the cross. 47:32 We are saying: "Remember what He said 47:34 'cause Dr. Luke don't have a heaven to put you in 47:37 and neither does Solomon. " 47:38 But God does. You can't forget what God said "remember" 47:41 and still be saved. So we're not going overboard. 47:44 We're trying to get on board and trying to help others 47:46 get on board. Amen! OK. I like that, Danny. 47:50 You have so many people 47:53 who, and you have to say it kindly, got it wrong. 47:57 So when you have such an overwhelming tide of error 48:01 truth has to push back hard. 48:03 Right. That's the only way you can do it. 48:04 "If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, " 48:06 two verses after yours, John... right... 48:08 "and call the Sabbath a delight, holy of the Lord, 48:10 honorable... and shall honor Him not doing thine own..." 48:15 It's God's holy day. 48:17 And God says: "If you will do this, I will cause thee 48:21 to ride upon the high places of the earth 48:23 and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father 48:26 for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. " 48:29 God has put some promises in keeping the Sabbath 48:31 that you can enjoy no other way on no other day 48:35 than on the Sabbath Day. So when you have something good 48:39 and you're a honest, loving person you want to share it. 48:42 That's why we push so hard: because we've got something good 48:44 and "I've got it good; I want you to have it good also. " 48:47 Amen! I just want to read from I John chapter 2 verses 3-4. 48:52 And John writes: "Now by this we know that we know Him: 48:57 if we keep His commandments. 49:00 He who says 'I know Him' and does not keep His commandments 49:04 is a liar and the truth is not in him. " 49:08 When the Lord called me to full-time ministry 49:12 He impressed upon my mind: "Forget what you think you know; 49:15 come sit at My feet and I will teach you. " 49:17 Boy, I argued against the seventh-day Sabbath. 49:20 I had all the answers. 49:22 As a matter of fact, I almost... An Adventist pastor 49:26 who was a friend of my husband's told me I almost convinced him. 49:30 I said: "Then you don't understand the new covenant. " 49:36 See... I just have to say this... 49:40 the unifying theme of scripture 49:43 is that our God is a covenant- making, covenant-keeping God. 49:48 And all of His covenants are a progressive revelation of God. 49:54 And when He came down the old covenant... 49:58 if you read through Exodus and look for it... 50:00 you will see that God remembered the everlasting covenant 50:05 that He had made with Abraham. 50:07 He remembered and He rescued His people. 50:11 And then He re-introduced to them and re-stated 50:15 these ten promises. These are covenant promises. 50:21 Our covenant-keeping God wants us to come into covenant 50:25 relationship with Him. And as I studied 50:28 and when I became convinced that what was nailed to the cross 50:33 was not the Ten Commandments. 50:35 I studied... God took me on a study of the sanctuary 50:39 and it was so beautiful! The Sabbath changed my life. 50:45 It changed my physical life; 50:47 it changed my spiritual life. 50:50 I am absolutely convinced... You know I'm a workaholic. 50:53 I'm absolutely convinced that without a Sabbath rest 50:56 I would already probably be in the grave. 50:59 But it changed my spiritual life 51:03 because I hold fast 51:07 to Exodus 31:13 51:10 that the Sabbath is a sign that God is the One 51:15 who sanctifies us. 51:17 All my life I had tried to sanctify myself. 51:22 I was trying to do good for God, 51:24 to do the right thing... and I never could! 51:28 I just couldn't get it right and I would get so discouraged 51:32 that I would actually, couple of times turned away from Him. 51:35 But when I discovered the Sabbath truth 51:38 and it's still so today there are times that I get down 51:43 in a valley and I think: "Oh, I ought to be doing more 51:45 of this, more of that. " But then the Sabbath rolls in 51:48 and it's just like: "Oh... thank you Lord for reminding me 51:54 that You're the One who sanctifies me. " 51:56 Let me share a couple of thoughts with you. 51:58 So the question said some of you all seem to be 52:02 a little unbalanced on that, you tend to push a little bit hard. 52:05 I've got something that I wish that you would have 52:08 because it's good. And I know it's good because 52:11 God said: "This is for you. " As a matter of fact, 52:14 it was Jesus who said: "The Sabbath was made for man 52:17 not man for the Sabbath. " So this is something God made 52:20 for the human family. And He said: "I want you to have it 52:24 because it's so good," just as Shelley was pointing out. 52:26 It's good for you and it helps you to understand 52:29 what God does for you, 52:31 what God does in you, 52:33 AND who God is. 52:35 So we get over to the three angels' messages 52:37 in Revelation chapter 14. 52:39 "I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven having 52:42 the final gospel message that's going to go to the world 52:45 to preach to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. " 52:47 Says with a loud voice: "Fear God, give glory to Him 52:50 for the hour of His judgment has come. " Now it says: 52:53 "And worship Him that made heaven and earth and the 52:56 seas and the fountains of waters. " 52:57 The Sabbath calls us to remember that God is our Creator! 53:03 Amen! In an age where creation is kind of old hat. 53:06 And it reminds us that God is our "re-Creator. " 53:12 God is the One. If you want to accuse anybody of being 53:15 unbalanced about the Sabbath it's God! 53:18 He put it in the Bible. 53:20 He emphasized it. 53:21 He re-emphasized it. 53:23 He called as Pastor Lomacang said a whole group of people 53:26 to be the restorers of the breach. 53:27 And He commissioned people down in the close of time 53:30 to go around with a loud voice 53:32 Amen! telling people "God is the Creator 53:35 and He's given you the seventh-day Sabbath 53:38 as a memorial of His creative power 53:41 He invites you to rest. Rest in Him; rest in what He does; 53:45 what He's done; and what He will do and to remember 53:47 that in the new earth the Bible says we'll be worshiping God 53:50 from Sabbath to Sabbath. " It's a big deal! 53:53 If you don't have it, I don't want to badger you about it. 53:56 I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable. 53:58 But I want to tell you: it's important to God; 54:00 it's good for you. As Shelley said, it will 54:03 revolutionize and change your life. 54:05 And... and... it's part of God's last gospel message. 54:09 So if you're a gospel Christian you're going to want this. 54:11 It's also one of the Ten Commandments. 54:13 So which one? You may be over- board on that one about idols. 54:18 You may be overboard on that one about adultery. 54:21 No, I don't think anybody's overboard on any of the 54:23 commandments. They're all as important as each other. 54:26 Danny, I love what you said. 54:28 It's not about being overboard; it's about being ON board... 54:31 on board with Jesus. 54:32 Amen! You know, Jill and I, we love the Sabbath day. 54:36 It's a tremendous blessing to both of us. 54:38 You know, and I have to say: the Ten Commandments 54:42 Exodus 20 verse 8 says "Remember, " right? 54:46 "Remember the Sabbath day. " 54:48 So Jill and I love the seventh-day Sabbath. 54:50 So in the question it was being accused of being unbalanced. 54:54 I don't mind being unbalanced to be honest with you, right? 54:57 I don't mind being called "unbalanced. " 54:59 I know we all try to be balanced. If someone thinks 55:00 I'm being unbalanced because I'm keeping the seventh-day 55:04 Sabbath, I don't care. 55:07 Lastly... Not lastly but as my last point - very short - 55:10 it's really not about the Sabbath. 55:13 It's who is your God. Amen! 55:15 That's a good point. The seventh day is THE Sabbath of the Lord 55:19 your God. " The question is: who is your God? If the God of 55:22 creation is your God... then that's the day. 55:24 Amen! 55:26 Pastor John said... he quoted Mark 2:27 55:31 that God made the Sabbath for us. 55:34 You've got a suit that you got made years ago. 55:36 Tailored just for you. I remember the first time I saw 55:39 it I said: "Danny, man, you really look good in that suit. " 55:41 He said: "Yeah, I do! " 55:43 Something like that. But it was a suit made 55:46 just... It wasn't off the rack; it was a suit for you. 55:48 I didn't pay for it. 55:51 It was a free gift just like the Sabbath. 55:53 Hey! Whoo... At keas that'll preach! 55:54 Yeah... even better. 55:56 But God looked down at mankind and said: 55:59 "Let me give them something that will preserve their life, 56:02 that will remind them of who I am, 56:05 that will help them as they make their way. 56:07 I'm going to give them the Sabbath. " 56:10 And then He said: "Christ now is Lord of 56:13 the Sabbath" in 2:28. 56:16 So there's no other day 56:17 that has that special relationship. 56:19 And if we will enter into that number one: we will never forget 56:23 who is our Lord 56:24 and number two: we will never forget the special relationship 56:27 that is cultivated through keeping the Sabbath. 56:30 Amen! Yvonne, hasn't this been fun? 56:33 I love it! I love panel discussions. 56:36 I mean, thank you so much all of you. Yes! Thank you. 56:39 See, we're very fortunate. We get to understand 56:43 what has taken them years to study and learn. 56:45 Right. And now they impart it to us 56:48 while we're doing our other things. 56:50 And it's true: I never sit down with this group 56:53 and don't learn something. Umm. And I have turned on 56:56 in the past... My aunt used to say years ago 56:58 before there was ever any Adventist television: 57:00 we asked her, said: "Well don't you want to watch some 57:05 other folks that believe differently than we do? " 57:08 She said: "No. " We said: "Why not? " 57:10 She said: "Cause they never teach me something 57:11 I didn't already know. " 57:13 And that's one thing: when you listen to these folk 57:15 study what Adventists believe most of the time 57:19 we'll learn things that we didn't already know. 57:21 We're going to have to take a short break. 57:23 We'll be back in just a moment with Pastor John Bradshaw. |
Revised 2017-12-18